


You Take Me The Way I Am

by Priestlyislove



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff without Plot, M/M, One Shot, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 01:29:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13284075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priestlyislove/pseuds/Priestlyislove
Summary: Dakota recalls the moment he fell in love with Cavendish. Cavendish is capable of both violence and romance. Laughs are shared.





	You Take Me The Way I Am

~~~~“When I fell in love with ya, huh?”

Dakota was sprawled out on the grass, soaking up the sun like a big cat. He grinned at him like a Cheshire, too. He had told Cavendish he had never had a backyard before, or at least, that’s what he tried to tell, he was so excited only half the words made it out. Now that they were a little closer to being settled in, he was taking as much time as he could steal away to be outside. Cavendish thought it was a little silly, they had a whole house to explore and set up, and here he was, determined to let bugs crawl on him. Not that Cavendish would complain. Dakota was more radiant than the sun when he was happy, and his pleasures had always been simple. That was evident even in the way he dressed, with his fraying t shirt covered in pastel polka dots and his jean overalls that had the grass stains on both knees.

“That’s not what I asked,” Cavendish huffed, sitting down cross legged behind Dakota’s head, careful to keep his distance so he wouldn’t crush his curls. He was still a little self conscious about wearing shorts around Dakota, but he didn’t mind his bony knees. He also didn’t mind his affinity for green, only offering him a compliment this morning when he saw him wearing a shirt that was only two shades different than his shorts. “Not exactly.”

“So you’re not interested?” He asked innocently. They had only been married for two months (in their time, which was often hard to keep track of, but this was important to them) and Dakota already seemed to know him inside and out.

“Well, while we’re on the topic, it wouldn’t hurt if you shared,” Cavendish shrugged, failing at feigning apathy. But Dakota wouldn’t point out how bad he was at acting.

Dakota just laughed. It was Cavendish’s favorite sound. “Alrighty then. It was our fourth mission together.”

Cavendish blinked, trying to think back. After years upon years of failure, he tried to forget as much about their work time experiences as he could. They started to blend together anyway. Even if he couldn’t remember each individual mission, he knew for a fact that nothing romantic happened between them for several years of their partnership. Certainly nothing by the fourth mission. Cavendish wrinkled his nose. “What happened then?”

“It wasn’t the mission itself, it was during the aftermath. I woke up to find you sewing up the tears in my tracksuit, and you got all indignant about it for some reason, saying you were only doing it because you already had your stuff out to fix yours and you didn’t want to be seen with someone dressed up in ripped clothes. I think you called me a crazed hobo?” Despite the content of the memory, Dakota’s tone suggested it was something he enjoyed looking back on.

“Yes, I could be rather mean back then,” Cavendish conceded. “But you made me nervous! It was a defense mechanism!”

“Aw, come on, everything made you nervous. Still does.” Dakota pointed out.

Cavendish cleared his throat, trying to get the conversation back on track. “Are you saying you fell in love with me because I could sew?”

“I’m not done,” Dakota said. For such a low and gravelly voice, it still had a surprisingly lilted quality to it. It must’ve been a mix of his carefree attitude and that twinge of a Boston accent that grew heavier when he was comfortable. “I told you I thought it was cool you could sew, and you deflected it _immediately_ , because you thought compliments were just sneak attacks. But then, after a little bit of quiet, you talked about how your mother taught you to do it. It was the first thing you had ever told me about yourself. And man, the memory of her just made you light up. I didn’t say nuthin’, I was scared I was gonna snap you outta it! You said she was lovely and I believed it. Said she taught you lots of things, like fishing and first aid, and that she made the best strawberry rhubarb pie in the whole world. I asked,” Dakota interrupted himself with a laugh that had bubbled up in his chest, “I asked if I could go with to visit her and try some.”

“I remember this conversation!” Cavendish gasped softly. He smiled down at him, finding himself oddly fond of the memory too. “I responded that if you ever came near my mum,-“

“I’ll bake _you_ into a pie!” They said it at the same time, and Dakota fell into a fit of giggles. “Your mom does make fantastic pies, I should add. And she raised a good kid.”

“So that’s when you fell in love with me?” Cavendish started playing with Dakota’s hair, running his fingers through it. “When I threatened your life for the umpteenth time?”

“It was ‘cause you shared a piece of yourself with me. I got to meet Balthazar, instead of just agent Cavendish. It was a new you-it was the real you-and I realized right then I wanted to hear every stupid story in that head of yours. It’s romantic.” He winked at him. “And I was pretty sure you wouldn’t actually kill me. I’m too charming to get murdered.”

Cavendish nodded thoughtfully. “But not too clever for it, since you fell for my marriage scheme.”

“Ah, you fiend,” Dakota reached up and traced his cheek with his fingers. “If I’m going down, I’m taking your precious mustache with me.”

Cavendish shook his head, as if Dakota had just made a grave mistake. “Any last words, charmer?”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna have to get closer. It’s a secret.” Dakota motioned him in with a waggle of his fingers. Cavendish leaned over so their noses were almost touching. Dakota tilted his jaw and kissed him. Cavendish melted in his mouth like those little chocolate candies he was so fond of. He wondered if the butterflies in his chest were going to be released every single time they kissed. Their track record so far was perfect.

“Vinnie, I adore you,” Cavendish whispered. “I cannot pinpoint when I fell in love with you because each day I grow more enamoured. It’d be like trying to name the sky. It’s blue, it's violet, it’s golden, it’s always breathtaking. You taught me that when I see dandelions I should see the flower instead of the weed, and you have managed to turn my whole life into a garden.”

They shifted slightly, so Dakota could rest his head in his lap. “Man, how do you come up with that stuff? You’re like, Shakespeare or something.”

Cavendish’s face was dusted with pink. “I just tell you how I feel, truthfully and unreservedly.”

“A teensy bit reservedly.” Dakota held his thumb and forefinger a short distance apart to demonstrate.

“Everyone has limits.” Cavendish defended himself with a huff. “It’s not easy to lay my heart out like that. You should be grateful I share these feelings with you at all.”

“Scared I’m gonna step on it or something?” Dakota tried to blow a stray hair out of his face until Cavendish brushed it aside for him.

“Scared you’re going to _laugh_ ,” Cavendish amended it. He sighed. “I love making you laugh, but not like that.”

“I’d never laugh at you!” Dakota paused. “Okay, that’s a lie, I have laughed at you. But not because you’re a heartthrob, are you kidding me?”

“A heartthrob?” Cavendish repeated with uncertainty.

Dakota continued fervently, “You’ve got a way with words that could make anybody swoon. Me especially. No one in their right mind would laugh at that, unless they were frightened by your power and didn’t know how to process that fear.”

“You’re just saying that.” Cavendish placed his palms on the ground behind him so he could shy away.

“Dear. Lover. Sweetheart. Cookie cutter.” Dakota made a face at his own word choice. “That’s not a great pet name, I’ll work on it. Anyway, Balthazar, I wouldn’t lie to you. Everytime you say that romantic stuff my heart straight up dies. That doesn’t sound right. See? It’s hard. You make it look easy.”

“Nonsense, Vinnie, you make my heart die too.” Cavendish tried to stifle his giggling.

Dakota pouted. “I’m putting my feelings out there, I’m being vulnerable! Tryin’ to foster a safe environment for love but _someone_ is holding back progress.”

“Oh really? It couldn’t possibly be me, for I am your husband and would never act to spite you.” Cavendish placed a hand across his chest to show how innocent he was.

Dakota did not fall for it. “ _Everything_ you do is to spite me.”

“That may or may not be true, however…” instead of offering up a counterpoint, Cavendish just started tickling him. Dakota fruitlessly tried to fight him off, waving his arms and also kicking his legs for some reason. Finally Dakota got a hold of one of his wrists and kissed it through his laughter until Cavendish was forced to relent.

Dakota rolled over onto his stomach, getting up on his hands and knees. “I hope you know tickling is illegal in this time period. I’m going to have to turn you in. It’s my civic duty.”

Cavendish hummed. “How about instead of that I make you cupcakes and you let this whole ordeal slide?” While Dakota was the bigger eater of the two, Cavendish had a terrible sweet tooth. They both ended up baking far more than what could’ve been good for their healths, but neither was about to say no to a sugary snack.

“Very tempting.” Dakota scratched his chin. He then very quickly placed another kiss on Cavendish, and went back to scratching. Cavendish was exactly as flustered as Dakota knew he would be. Which, for the record, was very flustered. “Can I frost them?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Cavendish readjusted his glasses, trying to regain his composure after that unexpected kiss.

“How would I say ‘I love how red your face gets when you’re embarrassed,’ but all fancy?” Dakota grinned at him. He half considered kissing him again, which was more than enough consideration for his taste. After the kiss, Cavendish awkwardly positioned his hands on Dakota’s chest, as if he was going to use that as a warning for when he was going to strike again.

“I-I wouldn’t know,” Cavendish stuttered, still working his way through his lovestruck daze. It was crazy what just a couple pecks did to him. Despite his claims of being in plenty of relationships before Dakota, everything remotely intimate sent him spinning. Dakota tried to go slow because of this, but Cavendish made it clear to him that he was perfectly fine with every touch they shared. If he was uncomfortable, he wasn’t afraid to say something. “You’re never embarrassed.”

Dakota was not expecting that response. “That’s not true! You’re talking to the guy who got his tongue stuck to a pole on three different occasions, and twice on the same occasion.”

Cavendish laughed a little, unable to help it. It was more in commiseration than mockery. “There’s no way that happened.”

“It did!” Dakota guaranteed him, standing up and offering him a hand. Cavendish accepted it and stood with him. Dakota stared at his chest. “And on that note, there was the time I was fillin’ in for a store Santa and the kids thought I was supposed to be an elf, ‘cause some of them were taller than me. Trust me, I’m the king of embarrassment.”

“I’ll admit you’ve been placed in quite a few awkward situations, but you still roll with the punches eloquently. You’ve very good at bouncing back and your ability to laugh at yourself is enviable.” Cavendish did not let go of his hand as they walked back to their house. _Their house_. That was a nice thought.

Dakota swung their arms. “I think your mustache is enviable.”

“If you stop shaving, you could grow one too.” Cavendish pointed out.

“Yeah, right,” Dakota laughed. “What a pair we’d make! We’d look like we’re in a constant state of cosplaying the Mario bros.”

Cavendish stared at him for a few seconds. “Should I know who they are?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dakota waved him off. With different timelines and different interests, Cavendish rarely got his pop culture references. “Anyway, if I stopped shaving, you’d have to deal with my stubble. It’d be like kissing a cactus.”

“A cute cactus, at least,” Cavendish opened the sliding door, letting Dakota in and following after him. They stared out the glass for a few comfortable moments of silence. “Do you think this place will work out for us?” Cavendish finally asked.

“Don’t be silly,” Dakota squeezed his hand. “It’s already perfect.”

 


End file.
